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Latest Cycling News for October 3, 2006

Samuel Sanchez: On his way up

One year ago, Euskaltel-Euskadi's Samuel Sanchez finished fifth in the
Züri Metzgete (Championship of Zurich). One year later he finds himself
the winner of this event, along the way collecting two stage victories
in the Vuelta a Pais Vasco, a stage in the Vuelta a Asturias, and a stage
win and top ten overall in the Vuelta a España. Add to this list a fourth
place at the worlds, and second at Flèche Wallonne, both times a place
behind ProTour winner Alejandro Valverde to whom he is also second in
the proTour standings with two rounds to go. Cyclingnews' Hernan Alvarez
caught up with him last week in his hometown of Oviedo while he was preparing
himself for the Championship of Zurich, a race in which he became the
Basque team's first winner of a one day classic:

To sum up things up neatly, Sanchez is finishing what seems to be his
very best season so far. In contrast to the trajectory of his career this
year, Samuel is one of the best riders at descending in the international
peloton together with Il Falco, Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel) and
others. He won in Cuenca in the Vuelta a España after an almost suicidal
ride down through the streets of that city. Days later, he showed he was
only getting stronger as the race continued by finishing second in the
time trial on stage 20.

"I think I did very well in the Vuelta a España," said
Sanchez. "I hoped to be maybe a little bit ahead in the general [classification],
among the top five. I went to the Vuelta maybe to fight for the podium.
What happens is that sometimes the race circumstances don't go like one
wants. But I keep on being happy because I achieved one stage win."

Landis attacks UCI

Floyd Landis, currently in rehabilitation after undergoing surgery on
his right hip, has not ruled out a come-back to professional competition
as of 2007, and maintained that he did not use banned substances to achieve
his Tour de France win this year, despite the positive test results for
abnormal levels of testosterone his A and B sample delivered in July.
In an interview with AP, the former Phonak rider said, "The accusations
against me are unfounded. I hope the world gets to see that."

Landis, who will start to ride on a stationary bike as of next week,
prepares the defense of his case in what will probably be a public hearing.
The 30 year-old said he thought a public hearing would be his best chance
to have his side heard, and added that officials at the International
Cycling Union (UCI) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prosecuted his
case in the press.

He said many who run the federation only want to stay in the good graces
of the International Olympic Committee in hopes of advancing their careers
there. "I'm not hopeful this sport can be fixed as long as UCI is running
it. That's all I can say," Landis commented.

He did not, however, lump the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) with those
he believes have tarnished his reputation and that of his sport. "Apart
from my side, USADA has been the one group that has followed the rules,
done everything properly," he added.

Bettini's brother dies

A little more than one week after Paolo Bettini was crowned World Champion
in Salzburg, tragedy hit the Bettini family as Paolo's brother Sauro died
in a road accident in Bibbona on Monday night, just a few metres away
from his home. The 42 year-old reportedly turned over into a ditch after
hitting a road obstacle with his car, and died upon his arrival in hospital.
Sauro Bettini, who was organising a celebration to honour his brother's
World's title next week, left behind his wife and 10 year-old son.

Paolo Bettini reportedly left Bologna, where he was preparing for this
Thursday's Coppa Sabatini, to return home with his family. Cyclingnews
extends its condolences to the Bettini family and friends.

Vino and Kash honoured

Alexandre Vinokourov and Andrey Kashechkin were honoured on Monday,
October 2, by the President of Kazakhstan for their performance in the
Vuelta a España. Head of State Nursultan Nasarbayev bestowed the order
"Barys", second degree on Vuelta winner Vinokourov. Kashechkin received
an apartment in the nation's capital.

According to Kazakhstan media inform, "The President wished them
further success emphasizing that every person in the state was able to
glorify his or her motherland. The athletes thanked the leader of Kazakhstan
and the Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov for the support of the sport."

Courtesy of Susan Westemeyer

Teammates happy with Bak

CSC's Lars Bak finished only 54th at Züri
Metzgete, but he felt like a winner all the same after the race. As
the Dane told Ekstra Bladet, he "felt really good during the first
180 kilometres, and my teammates praised me for doing a fantastic job."

Even though Bak - like most of the other riders - had a hard time in
the Swiss autumn weather, he did not back down and finished the event,
which saw only 64 of the initial 169 riders reaching the finish line.
"It was a tough race, it was incredibly dangerous going downhill, and
everyone was very scared they might crash," Bak said.

Courtesy of Katharina Schulz

Contract news: Azevedo, Ceramica Flaminia

After announcing he was to leave Discovery Channel, Jose Azevedo now
made known which squad he chose for next year: Portuguese Continental
team Benfica. To be able to spend more time with his family, the 33 year-old
Portuguese rider opted for a smaller home team, even though he once finished
fifth in the Tour de France. "It wasn't an easy decision," Azevedo said.
"Discovery Channel is one of the best teams in the world, and it's a dream
come true for every rider to race for it. But I've thought about this
a long time, and I'm happy with my choice."

Italian team Ceramica Flaminia has announced two signings for the 2007
roster: Raffaele Illiano will be reinforcing the squad at short stage
races and mountain top finishes. The 29 year-old Selle Italia rider achieved
several good placings this season, including a fifth in a stage of the
Giro d'Italia. Moreover, the team directed by Roberto Marrone extended
the contract of Manuele Spadi. who did well in the Peace Race, finishing
seventh overall.

Milram to next Italian races

The next Italian 1.1 and 1.HC races Coppa Sabatini, Giro dell’Emilia
and Trofeo Beghelli on October 5, 7 and 8 call for Italian teams, and
Team Milram has announced its rosters: Starting out at Coppa Sabatini
will be Mirko Celestino, Michele Gobbi, Andriy Grivko, Giovanni Visconti,
Fabio Sabatini, Alberto Ongarato, Alessandro Vanotti and Marco Velo.

At the Giro dell’Emilia, Sabatini, Ongarato and Velo will be replaced
by Mirco Lorenzetto, Matej Jurco and Carlo Scognamiglio. For the last
of these three events, Milram will line up Michele Gobbi, Andriy Grivko,
Giovanni Visconti, Mirco Lorenzetto, Matej Jurco, Carlo Scognamiglio,
Fabio Sabatini and Alessandro Vanotti. Team director throughout the week
will be Antonio Bevilacqua.

2007 LuK-Challenge moves to August

German pair time trial LuK-Challenge Chrono in Bühl will be taking place
a little later next year, due to the "late" start of the Tour de France
in 2007. The 'Grande Boucle' will start in London, UK, on July 7 and finish
in Paris on July 29, so the German organisers have announced their race
to be scheduled on August 3, 2007.

Newly-crowned World Champion Fabian Cancellara may be one of the starters
also next year: The Swiss CSC rider, together with teammate Fränk Schleck,
lost out to Gerolsteiner duo Sebastian Lang/Markus Fothen in 2006, and
therefore has his eyes set on revenge.

Paris velodrome construction goes ahead

The construction of the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome (greater
Paris area) will go ahead after all. Initially planned as part of Paris'
bid for the 2012 Olympic Games, the 250m velodrome is planned to be built
despite the event being awarded to London.

For this purpose, a delegation from the town council of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
visited the UCI's training centre WCC on September 26, where they met
with UCI President Pat McQuaid as well as Federation staff involved in
the running of the WCC and the development of Track cycling, to refine
the specifications for the plan of the future velodrome before its launch.

The Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome should be completed by 2010-2011.
It will be one of the four facilities which will be maintained in spite
of the 2012 Olympic Games being awarded to London.

Robin Hood Bike Rides benefit BHF

On Sunday, November 5 will be taking place the Robin Hood Challenge
and Scramble, to benefit the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in the United
Kingdom. The fund raisers will see cyclists tackle the roads and trails
of Sherwood Pines Forest Park. The Challenge involves a 36 mile off road
ride, whereas the Scramble takes place on a route that can be followed
to do 6, 12, 18, 24 or 30 miles - ideal for families, novices or occasional
cyclists.

There is a £8 entry fee per person (entry on the day is £15). Children
under 14 ride for free. The entry fees go towards the cost of administering
and organising the ride, so the organisers ask for sponsorships/donations
to be made to benefit the BHF. For registration forms and further information
e-mail north@bhf.org.uk.